Asparagus and truffles can be safely called symbols of Istria. They can be found in any guide to Croatia, in gastronomic reviews of the region. On the first day, Edo suggested that we go with him to the forest, to see how asparagus is harvested during the season. Wild asparagus is green and purple in color (the more sun, the more purple). The harvest season is April and May. The shoots of wild asparagus have a bitter taste, they are saturated with pleasure only from the rain. Wild asparagus is used in Istria in three ways: adding to a salad with an egg, baking or frying as a filling for fritters and preparing risotto with asparagus.
Asparagus grows in forests and on mountain slopes. Long thin shoots stretch above the ground up to 1.5 meters. If you do not collect young shoots, after 7-10 days they begin to branch, become woody, and then turn into thorns. Mother wild asparagus is a large thorny bush, near which it is most often worth looking for wild asparagus suitable for food.
When we drove, we expected that now in the forest there are asparagus lawns waiting for us. As in a fairy tale: he went in, collected young shoots in a basket and went to cook. But we wandered through the forests for about 4 hours. Edo says that last year, at this time, the harvest was ten times larger. A leap year and a dry April have done their job.
In the forests there are many wild animals, wild boars and roosters (squashed grass is a place to rest and lie, traces of hooves, all this is constantly found), ducks, quails. We reached the horse pens and meadows of wild thyme, which has just bloomed (fragrance!).
“It's not you collecting badly. If I see that you have little asparagus in your hands, then I have not explained well how to collect it”- comments Edo. And we were able:) collected more than 2 kg of wild asparagus. At the same time, in the forest you can collect two varieties of edible herbs, which are prepared in the same way as asparagus. In English they are called Butcher's Broom and Black Bryony, here these sound like ru? ka (pen) and blu?? (Blush). We have the tomus and the needle, two plants that are only used in folk medicine, drying the roots and fruits. Young shoots are eaten here.
To determine the parts of the stems suitable for preparation, you need to easily bend the stem. The part from the head to the fracture site (with a characteristic juicy crunch) is edible, the rest is hard and bitter.? of the harvested asparagus we harvest for salad and frittata,? set aside for risotto. All recipes can be prepared with asparagus.
Salad with asparagus
- a small bunch of asparagus
- 5 eggs
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- salt
Boil eggs. Asparagus is cut or broken into pieces of about 3-4 cm. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil, throw the asparagus, salt, suppose, pour in a little water and simmer for 5-7 minutes until the asparagus softens. For dressing, mix part of the vinegar and part of the oil, shake well until smooth. Cut boiled eggs in half, add asparagus, fill with the resulting mixture.
Frittata with asparagus
Asparagus stew as in the recipe with salad until softened. Fill with beaten eggs. The first time is better without milk to feel the taste. Later, fill with eggs prepared as for your favorite omelet. Of the seasonings - salt and pepper, nothing superfluous.
Risotto with wild asparagus
- a large bunch of asparagus
- 400 g rice for risotto (we took arborio)
- 250 ml of dry white wine
- olive oil
- salt
- a large handful of grated Parmesan
A little fake risotto, because we cook from what is, breaking the rules. In a saucepan with salted boiling water, boil asparagus, cut into 3-4 cm pieces. Cook for about 15 minutes. We do not drain the water, it will be our “asparagus broth” for risotto.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil. Generous quantity. Add the rice, over high heat, stirring, cook for 1-2 minutes until the rice absorbs the oil. We begin to pour in the asparagus broth, reduce the heat, salt. Stirring often and gently, cook for about 20-25 minutes, adding broth as needed. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, pour in the wine, let it soak, the rice should already be half ready. When the middle of the rice is still raw, but it is about to be al dente, add boiled asparagus, turn off the heat. Stir, pour Parmesan, mix well again and cover, let the risotto stand for 2-3 minutes. Serve with a glass of white cold dry wine.
Ahead is a story about olive plantations (growing, pruning, watering, oil production), wild fennel and radicchio harvesting, and much more.
Salad with asparagus
- a small bunch of asparagus
- 5 eggs
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- salt
Boil eggs. Asparagus is cut or broken into pieces of about 3-4 cm. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil, throw the asparagus, salt, suppose, pour in a little water and simmer for 5-7 minutes until the asparagus softens. For dressing, mix part of the vinegar and part of the oil, shake well until smooth. Cut boiled eggs in half, add asparagus, fill with the resulting mixture.
Frittata with asparagus
Asparagus stew as in the recipe with salad until softened. Fill with beaten eggs. The first time is better without milk to feel the taste. Later, fill with eggs prepared as for your favorite omelet. Of the seasonings - salt and pepper, nothing superfluous.
Risotto with wild asparagus
- a large bunch of asparagus
- 400 g rice for risotto (we took arborio)
- 250 ml of dry white wine
- olive oil
- salt
- a large handful of grated Parmesan
A little fake risotto, because we cook from what is, breaking the rules. In a saucepan with salted boiling water, boil asparagus, cut into 3-4 cm pieces. Cook for about 15 minutes. We do not drain the water, it will be our “asparagus broth” for risotto.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil. Generous quantity. Add the rice, over high heat, stirring, cook for 1-2 minutes until the rice absorbs the oil. We begin to pour in the asparagus broth, reduce the heat, salt. Stirring often and gently, cook for about 20-25 minutes, adding broth as needed. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, pour in the wine, let it soak, the rice should already be half ready. When the middle of the rice is still raw, but it is about to be al dente, add boiled asparagus, turn off the heat. Stir, pour Parmesan, mix well again and cover, let the risotto stand for 2-3 minutes. Serve with a glass of white cold dry wine.
Ahead is a story about olive plantations (growing, pruning, watering, oil production), wild fennel and radicchio harvesting, and much more.
